1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of body armor and specifically concerns body armor apparatus that has been designed to be used in either of two ways. It is designed to be used as a hand-held shield (independently, or in the user""s own attache case or carrying bag) or it can be quickly donned and worn as an armor vest. The two main options available to a person requiring covert body armor are (a) to wear a concealed armor vest, or (b) carry a disguised hand held shield.
2. Description of the Prior Art
it is well known to attempt to protect the human body from bullets by garments resistant to bullet penetration. Such devices used to be referred to as xe2x80x9cbullet proof vestsxe2x80x9d although modern weaponry has rendered that terminology overly optimistic. There are literally hundreds of issued patents relating to this technology, now often referred to as body armor. A few examples of this prior art are Colvin, U.S. Pat. No. 6,418,832, Zufle, U.S. Pat. No. 4,535,478, Rudoi, U.S. Pat. No. 4,633,756, and Herbert, U.S. Pat. No. 4,467,476.
A standard protective shield of the type and size that could be carried or concealed in an attache case (or other hand-held bag) can only be used to protect one chosen side of the body. It also has to be held against the body or positioned away from the body by hand. The usefulness of such an item is limited by the fact that a potential assailant might eventually (if not immediately) realize that there is a shield concealed in or disguised within the attache case or carrying bag.
Unless the risk of attack is very high, it is unlikely that a person will decide to constantly wear an armor vest. There are comfort and other practical disadvantages to wearing concealed body armor for extended periods of time or during normal routine circumstances. A person who is aware of some chance that they might need protection is more likely to prefer having a vest available for use as and when required. An armor vest is of no immediate use if it is not immediately available, and is no use at all if it is inaccessible or can not be donned during threatening circumstances.
Bearing in mind the foregoing, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide body armor that can be alternately used either as a hand held shield or worn as an armor vest.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such body armor that can be quickly converted from one use to the other, depending upon circumstances, and according to the user""s needs.
It is related object of the present invention that when the same is converted from use as a shield to use as a vest, no superfluous parts remain.
A further object of the invention is that the converted shield bears no resemblance to anything but a regular body armor vest.
An additional object of the invention is that when stowed for use as a shield, the invention or compacts to a size and shape designed to be inserted into a standard carrying bag such as an attache case, wherein it may be disguised.
A related object of the invention is to vacuum pack the folded body armor in a semi-rigid pouch that is preferably made from plastic.
Other objects and advantages will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reference to the following descriptions and the appended drawings.
In accordance with a principal aspect of the invention there is provided dual purpose body armor that can be alternately used either as a hand held shield or worn as an armor vest and which can be quickly converted from one use to the other. For this reason the shield would normally be of an approximately rectangular shape. The exact shape may be varied in order to fit in different types of carry bag, or to better conform (for the purpose of comfort or protection) to the shape of the body when unstowed or deployed and worn as a vest.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, when used as a vest, the invention is preferably comprised of two or more armor panels that unfold or deploy to protect an area of the front and back, and preferably also the side, of the torso that is larger than the area of the stowed panels. The front armor panel, back armor panel, side armor panels, and lower abdomen armor panel, are all located on the body by means of a support system. Alternatively, there are two armor panels, one to protect the front and one to protect the back of the torso, both located on the body by means of a support system. The simplest alternative is a single armor panel that is worn to protect the front of the torso, located on the body by means of a support system.
In each embodiment where several armor panels unfold or deploy to protect a larger area of the body, the panels are attached or configured in such a way that the bulk and thickness of the stowed shield is minimised. This way the stowed shield is more easily carried and concealed within the attache or other carrying case, leaving more room within which to carry other items for which the case is intended. This method of configuring individual panels within a stowed shield is also intended to provide a more consistent level of protection over the area of the shield prior to unfolding or deployment. This is achieved by shaping the individual panels so that they fit closely together when stowed or folded, as in a simple jigsaw puzzle, leaving minimal gaps between the individual panels. This form accommodates well to vacuum packing the folded body armor in a semi-rigid pouch that is preferably made from plastic.
The multiple armor panels comprise individual panels that are either xe2x80x9cfixedxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cfloatingxe2x80x9d, or a combination of the two. xe2x80x9cFixedxe2x80x9d panels remain in position when stowed or deployed by means of them being attached or hinged to the adjacent panel or panels. xe2x80x9cFloatingxe2x80x9d panels are those that according to their shape have to be in one position when the armor is stowed as a shield, and have to be relocated when the armor is deployed as a vest. Floating panels either drop into place due to gravity when the shield is unstowed and being made ready to wear, or may be relocated by hand at that time. So that floating panels remain correctly located when stowed, they may be retained by means of a drawstring or other quick release mechanism. Similarly when deployed, floating panels may be guided to and held in the correct position by means of a drawstring or other quick fastening mechanism.
The individual armor panels are held together for use as a garment by means of a support system. The armor panels are incorporated into a vest-like garment, or attached (directly or indirectly) to attachments that deploy when the shield is unstowed and allow the armor panels to be worn as a vest. The support garment preferably comprises resilient fabric. The attachments preferably comprises fabric or elastic straps. In any case the purpose of the support system is to allow the quick and easy donning of the unstowed shield as a vest, and to position the armor against the body in a substantially fixed location.
The material and configuration of these attachments is such that the unstowed shield can be donned as a vest without the need for unfastening, fastening or adjustment, or such that the minimal procedure is required to don the vest and adjust to fit the body. The elastic straps used to secure the armor around the torso are preferably attached to or inserted within the vest so as to maximise the length of the elastic straps, and hence the length by which the elastic is able to extend. Consequently the vest can be pulled on over the head without having to unfasten and re-fasten the straps, and fitted to the body with little or no further adjustment. By this method the vest will also fit a greater range of body sizes without having to be unfastened, fastened or adjusted. The length of the elastic straps is maximized by either by using one or more complete loops or almost complete loops of elastic strap within the vest assembly, which encircle the torso and are either complete loops of elastic not anchored to the vest at any point, which may be described as xe2x80x9cfloatingxe2x80x9d, or complete or almost complete loops of elastic only anchored at one or more points to prevent lateral movement of the elastic straps without decreasing the ability of the strap to extend.
The elastic straps are correctly positioned over the vest and the torso by being routed through the interior of the vest via slots or openings in the vest""s outer cover. This method of concealing most of the elastic within the vest helps to avoid the incorrect placement or snagging of the straps when donning the vest as quickly as possible. Alternatively the xe2x80x9cfloatingxe2x80x9d or anchored elastic straps may be routed around the inner or outer surface of the vest""s outer cover, through guides or attachments such as long tunnels or narrow belt loops similar to those on a pair of trousers. The straps, of course, may be of any width.